The present invention relates to pumps and more specifically relates to an improved pump capable of pumping fluids that may have a viscosity varying from 1 to 1 million centipoise at 25.degree. C. Pumps for pumping low viscosity or high viscosity fluids are well known in the art.
However, in the past, pumps were built for pumping either low viscosity fluids or for pumping high viscosity fluids. Accordingly, in a process operation when a low viscosity pump was utilized to pump a low viscosity fluid and it became necessary in the process operation to pump a higher viscosity fluid, it was necessary to take out the low viscosity pump and place a high viscosity pump in the line. Accordingly, it was highly desirable to have a versatile pump which could pump both low viscosity fluids and high viscosity fluids that is, fluids having a viscosity varying from 25 to 1 million centipoise at 25.degree. C, without changing the pump or making any mechanical adjustments to the pump.
In this respect, it was known in the construction of high viscosity pumps that the use of a kick plate means, or a plate at the end of the piston shaft could be utilized which would force or help to force the high viscosity fluid through the pump.
There were two disadvantages with such high viscosity pumps. First of all, all such pumps did not pump fluid continually on both strokes of the pump piston or pump cylinder.
Another disadvantage was they were completely inapt for pumping low viscosity material or would pump low viscosity fluids only with difficulty and with very little efficiency.
With respect to low viscosity hydraulic pumps it was known in these pumps to use spherical balls as the valve means. These pumps, as can be envisioned, did not utilize kick plate means or a kick plate at the end of the cylinder shaft for forcing the fluid through the pump.
However, more importantly, these low viscosity hydraulic pumps were unsuitable for pumping high viscosity fluids as the round spherical balls that were utilized as the valve means permitted the passage of high viscosity materials through the valves only with difficulty and with very little efficiency in the pump operation.
In short, while such valve means, comprising spherical balls, were sufficient for the pumping of low viscosity fluids, that is, in the neighborhood of 1 to 10,000 centipoise at 25.degree. C, when such low viscosity hydraulic pumps were utilized to pump high viscosity fluids the pumping action was completely inefficient. Accordingly, such valve means composed of round spherical balls were completely unsuited to the pumping of the high viscosity fluids, such fluids having a viscosity in the neighborhood of 100,000 to 1 million centipoise at 25.degree. C.
Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide for an improved pump which can pump both low viscosity and high viscosity fluids without any mechanical adjustments.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for an improved pump for pumping both low viscosity and high viscosity fluids continually on both strokes of the pump piston or cylinder.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide for an improved pump for pumping both low viscosity and high viscosity fluids with a novel kick plate means for forcing high viscosity fluids through the pump when such pump is pumping high viscosity fluids, but which does not interfere with the pumping of low viscosity fluids by the same pump.
It is yet an additional object of the present invention to provide for an improved pump which has new and improved valve means in the pump which do not deter from the efficiency of the pump for pumping low viscosity fluids and which impart to the pump an improved pumping capacity for the pumping of high viscosity fluids.